Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Chris kitching & Amber Hicks

Meghan Markle's fans can now explore wedding reception venue - next door to their new home

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's fans now have a chance to look around their plush wedding reception venue.

Members of the public are being invited to explore the stunning Frogmore House and gardens during a three-day charity open weekend in May.

The couple's wedding reception, hosted by the Prince of Wales, was held at the historical Windsor building and their engagement photos were taken in the grounds.

They reportedly had a summer picnic there in 2017 before getting engaged.

However a "small area" of the manor will be out of bounds when it throws open its doors next month in order to stop snooping royal fans peering into Meghan and Harry's new home Frogmore Cottage.

Frogmore House is near Frogmore Cottage, where Meghan and Harry live (Daily Mirror)

By this time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have welcomed their first child and be living as a family of three at nearby Inside Meghan Markle and Harry's new home at Frogmore House - the secret royal retreat on the estate.

And it has now been confirmed there will be banned areas in the gardens of Frogmore House to stop prying eyes trying to get to close the couple's newly-renovated 10-bed property, the Telegraphs reports.

As we reported last week, Meghan and Harry waved goodbye to their abode at Kensington Palace and moved into their new Windsor home as they prepare for their bundle of joy's arrival.

Frogmore House will throw open its doors for charity (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

Inside Meghan Markle and Harry's new home at Frogmore House - the secret royal retreat  

It is understood a £3million renovation was carried out to turn the Grade II listed cottage into a family home, but work overran meaning their move in date was delayed.

The home was gifted to the Duke and Duchess by the Queen last year, with Kensington Palace saying Windsor is a "very special place" for the couple.

The cottage is just 200 metres from the Long Walk - which is open to the public.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to keep birth details secret and will celebrate privately  

Frogmore house is also half a mile south of Windsor Castle, the Queen's summer residence, and St George's Chapel, where Harry and Meghan tied the knot in May as millions around the world watched on TV.

Visitors on the open days will be able to explore the estate and see its own man-made lake, Frogmore Lake. It is also home to the Royal Burial Ground and the tomb of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Those interred at the burial ground include King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson - the divorced American socialite whose intended marriage to Edward sparked a constitutional crisis and led to his abdication in 1936.

The Frogmore estate is very special to the couple (Getty Images Europe)

Meghan Markle 'will get into hot water' with Queen if she discusses this important topic

The House was also once home to Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, for almost 20 years. Her remains are also held there, in an elegant mausoleum, which is not open to visitors.

Frogmore House is steeped in history and was built in the 1680s and purchased by Queen Charlotte, wife of George III in 1792.

It is open to the public just one month a year, in August, plus the three charity open days in May, which is raising money for National Garden Scheme, British Heart Foundation and National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.

Tickets cost up to £35 a person through the Royal Collection Trust.

The sprawling grounds allowed Queen Charlotte to indulge her love of botany, as the gardens, initially flat, were filled with 4,00 trees and many rare and unusual plants.

The House has been a favourite royal retreat (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

  Details of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's second date revealed - and it's was very special

Charlotte's Vice-Chamberlain, Major William Price, and the Rev. Christopher Alderson of Derbyshire transformed the estate, creating the winding lake, wooded mounds, glades, walks and bridges in the Picturesque style.

Inside, there are grand and elegant rooms - including one decorated by 18th-century flower painter Mary Moser. Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of George III and Charlotte, painted garlands in The Cross Gallery.

The Britannia Room is furnished with items from the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997.

Watercolours by Victoria's daughters, Princesses Victoria and Louise, are still in the House.

Public access is extremely limited because Frogmore House is still used by the Queen and other members of the Royal Family as a retreat for private and official royal engagements.

The Royal Mausoleum at Forgmore House, the final resting place of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

  The Queen's 'grandmotherly love' for Meghan Markle is 'PR exercise by palace'

It was built by Hugh May, Charles II's architect, and given a name that refers to the abundance of frogs in the surrounding, low-lying marshy area.

It became a royal residence about 100 years later and has become a hideaway for royal couples and families, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and their children.

Victoria was fond of Frogmore's peace and quiet, and it is said to have been her favourite retreat, visiting during her long widowhood and working on her papers there.

In 2008, it hosted the wedding reception of Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips and his Canadian wife Autumn.

Last year, the Queen called it a "wonderfully relaxing environment" that "holds a special place in (her) family’s affection".

Frogmore House will be open 28-30 May 2019. For more information click here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.